IDG in the Middle EastDelivering sustainable and measurable change

www.idg-middleeast.com

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Introduction and Foreword

Founded in 2000, IDG’s mission remains today as it was then; to create measurable and sustainable change in the behaviour of individuals and the organisations for which they work. We use our collective skills in leadership, followership and teamwork, to raise the bar of human and organisational performance.

Stephen Bennett Chairman and Founder

People development is at the heart of a flourishing organisation because great talent will deliver great commercial outcomes. Talent development is therefore critical to the continued development of the Middle East in today’s challenging global economy. We have been working in the region since 2004. Our very first project was ground breaking and far sighted: designing, developing and localising a Youth Development Programme for the Court of the Crown Prince of Bahrain. We worked on this programme for seven years and part of its unique appeal was the use of dedicated, young local managers trained to operate as assessors, mentors and facilitators.

Throughout our work we live values of:

• Selfless commitment to deliver excellence to our clients and make a real and sustainable difference

• Discipline to design, develop and deliver what we promise, on time and to budget

• Respect for all our stakeholders including our clients, colleagues and suppliers

• Integrity in all our commercial affairs

• Courage to challenge the status quo through innovation and creativity

• Loyalty to our clients and colleagues. We are in this region for the long-term

Dr Fawzia Nasser Al Farsi Member of the Oman State Council & Member of the Bureau Office It is a great honour to present this IDG Brochure to all readers, especially as IDG formally established its first regional company and office in Oman. This represented a major milestone in IDG’s Middle Eastern development.

Throughout this publication you will find inspirational accounts of projects undertaken by IDG where behavioural development has been achieved, measured and acted upon to the benefit of individuals and organisations alike. One great example is where security personnel, after a 4-day Work Citizenship Course, caused such a stir by doing

their job properly which precipitated lengthy queues of traffic at the site entrance and caused many ensuing complaints from disgruntled motorists – truly remarkable!

IDG represents a vital enabler in Omanisation by developing real capability in our people. Testament to this approach is that over 80% of IDG’s own staff in Oman are Omani. The evidence is clear: IDG develops people and those people have the opportunity to excel.

We have followed this philosophy ever since and now work right across the region and have offices in the Emirates, Jordan and Oman, staffed mainly by locals, allowing us to blend our global experience and expertise with the local challenges and cultures.

Working with senior teams across public and private sectors, we have developed a reputation and experience second to none. As you see, our mission is clear and precise. Our vision is for each member of our team to walk proudly alongside great clients for whom we do great work.

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Leadership is aprivilege not a right

The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst

IDG has been privileged to have a unique partnering agreement with the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS) since 2001.

Our relationship goes beyond sharing the Academy’s inspiring surroundings; we are able to draw upon key leadership and team performance methodologies honed over 200 years.

The name “Sandhurst” resonates throughout the Middle East, a place where many distinguished people have passed through its gates. Whilst most of our work in the Middle East is delivered locally, an ever-increasing number of participants on our development programmes, for example in the UAE, Jordan, Qatar and Saudi, have benefitted from workshops at Sandhurst where authentic leadership values count above all else.

Award Winning Programmes around the Globe

A world-class centre of leadership excellence

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To date, IDG has delivered performance-enhancing programmes in 47 countries worldwide. We take pride in the fact that we have experience in helping organisations and participants from many different cultures, perating in varied commercial environments, achieve sustainable andmeasurable change. As a result, many have received industry-recognised achievements that include:

2017

IDG Products and ServicesLeadership unlocks people’s potential to perform better

Inspiring Leadership

Leadership development is at the heart of what we do. Our approach is based on extensive experience and a firm belief that people cannot be “taught” to be leaders nor to act as a team. However, through a combination of well-designed and facilitated programmes they can be helped to understand, value and utilise their talents and hard-won experiences.

Our challenge to all leaders who attend our programmes is simple: “why would anyone choose to follow you?” Providing people with a powerful (and personal) answer to that question requires a clear understanding of what leaders do and don’t do.

The key elements of our programmes are as follows:

Action learning teams

Delegates are divided into cross- functional action learning teams that work together with the same facilitator for the duration of the programme. This approach ensures effective reflection, workplace application and feedback.

Leadership/Followership/Partnership

We focus on the relationship between leaders and their teams; particularly

Management Fundamentals

IDG designs and delivers a variety of integrated and developmental programmes for groups; from graduates through to all levels of management and senior executives.

Combining experiential and classroom sessions covering the key ingredients required to manage effectively in today’s competitive and demanding business environment, all programmes are highly practical and intensive.

The focus is on:

• Maximising personal effectiveness including: rebalancing the manager’s role, realigning how you spend personal time and energy, developing greater appreciation of working style and preferences and enhancing personal brand through reputation, impact and communication.

• Maximising team effectiveness through leading and participating in high performing teams, making the most of role preferences and behaviours and adapting management style to meet differing requirements of the task, team and individual.

maintenance of morale through high degrees of commitment, self-sacrifice and mutual trust.

IDG is in the vanguard of the growing interest in “effective followership”. With most people spending more time in followership rather than leadership roles, a key question is: “why would anyone want me in their team?” Successful leaders will cultivate effective followers who are committed to something outside of themselves; delivering excellence or making a difference.

At a time of constant pressure to do things quicker, cheaper and better, leaders need to identify how they can raise the performance bar for both their team and the wider organisation.

Measurable outputs

Our programmes are designed to unleash potential which is too often buried and wasted in organisations. Measurables include:

• Individual behavioural change using bespoke 360 feedback reports

• Workshop effectiveness through Kirkpatrick evaluation data

• Programme return on investment through specific payback projects

“The IDG programme increased my ability to face people and to state my beliefs and ideas. I’ve learnt new skills and I will share those skills. As the motto of Sandhurst says, ‘Serve to Lead’. We are the leaders of tomorrow, the leaders of Jordan.”

- Participant on the Youth Development Programme.

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Smart leaders,smart decisions,great results!

of bespoke games for use in retail, manufacturing, hotel and hospitality, construction and property development, oil & gas, utilities and management consultancy.

As unemployment continues to rise and both public and private sector organisations throughout the region seek greater efficiency, the development of a strong entrepreneurial drive is a vital strand in the expansion of Middle Eastern economies. In this context we have worked closely with a Jordanian Bank to deliver an intensive programme for their small and medium size enterprise customers, helping them develop strategically and

Commercial Excellence

IDG believes that a rounded leader has to have an understanding of what makes an organisation ‘tick’ commercially. Sound business acumen delivers improved financial performance and better-developed organisational leadership.

This specialised learning programme contains a true to life business simulation that enables participants to run their ‘own’ organisation, attempting to maximise commercial success and allowing mistakes to be made in a safe environment. In addition to generic simulations, which can be tailored to highlight key issues that particular businesses face, IDG has developed a suite

manage their businesses tactically and by doing so, achieving commercial excellence. This programme is being adopted in other countries in the region.

Data Analytics and Insight

IDG has the people and technologies to provide cultural and capability assessments, people strategy audits and organisational design and development reviews. We work with clients to create frameworks that help identify required competencies at various levels and map the current state against the framework.

Key elements of our work include:

• Consultancy: leveraging our knowledge to create surveys that provide the most insightful and relevant data, advising on internal communication strategy and full project management for global projects

• Measurement: using our proprietary survey platform to administer 90/180/225 or 360 surveys with output data

provided in a variety of ways. The survey platform is highly flexible and adaptable to meet local policy/governance requirements

• Presentation: ability to turn data into various graphical formats to provide manageable insights

• Analysis: experienced capability in advising on the interpretation and application of the data

• Solution: our credentials as consultants in leadership and sustainable behavioural change enable us to provide solutions to ‘development needs’ at every level of an organisation

“We had quite a tough and rigorous 3-days with the MZEC-IDG Business Challenge. We were able to run the business in a safe situation, learn from our mistakes, recognise when we should be challenging each other especially our wider stakeholders and most of all work with others we don’t usually come across on a daily basis. We also became very much aware of our learning and development needs as the MZEC Senior Leadership Team. Great activity and very stimulating. Thank you to the facilitators for their expertise in communicating finance in such a simple fashion... turning complexity into an easy learning experience.”

- Majid Al Busaidi, Senior Manager, Planning & Asset Management, Mazoon Electricity Company.

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Examples of IDG’s Work

Oil and Gas

IDG designed and delivered a behavioural health & safety programme for KBR working for Shell at Ras Laffan in Qatar. This contributed to an award-winning programme that, achieving over 70m incident free days, is still regarded as the industry case study for excellence. Our team of 12 facilitators and 3 project managers lived on site for 2 years and delivered the programme in 9 languages. Excellence in leadership, followership and partnership is fundamental to the success of any incident and injury free environment. And, responding to research highlighting that “90% of the root causes of incidents are

related to work behaviour while only 10% are related to work conditions” the focus remained on behaviour shifts as a root to prevention. In 2012, PDO in Oman contacted IDG to provide a work citizenship programme to develop a greater understanding of self-discipline and collective responsibility in employees of contractor companies. The objective was to produce productive, efficient and safe employees and align their personal values of the organisation in order to become role models for their fellow workers or “positive pioneers”. The programme consisted of five 2-day sessions delivered in Arabic and since its initial success has been tailored for delivery to other departments and contractors.

IDG has recently launched a 3-year consultancy project with this client; measuring and assessing their contractors against benchmarks for employee competence, motivation and engagement.

Banking and Finance

IDG has delivered two highly successful global programmes for a major bank; one an award-winning business and individual performance improvement programme and the other a multi-modular management development programme that focused on managing people and change. Participants working in the Middle East have attended both programmes. A branch of

Leadership is influence

this bank integrated with a larger national bank and as a result the senior leadership team has greatly enlarged. IDG was therefore invited to work with this group to help them define basic standards for behaviour and performance management, helping the bank transition successfully from a small organisation to a large bank.

In Jordan, IDG worked with Capital Bank to create a ground-breaking programme that was the first of its kind in the region. Devised uniquely for both SME customers and the bank’s relationship managers, the Ignite Programme was aimed at giving practical and commercially relevant development support to executives of high-

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potential Jordanian SME’s.

The programme has helped the customers better identify how to achieve commercial success and has given the bank’s staff greater insight into the risks and challenges faced by SMEs. This principle has been further developed and is being seriously considered as a core marketing activity by other Banks across the region.

Construction and Development

“What we value most from IDG is their open and flexible approach to react to the developing needs of the participants and the business”.

This was the response of a senior

“An industry first – great opportunity to jointly learn and make a difference. As we move forward, we will seek to assist and drive improvements in the socio-work-ethical environment in the PDO contractor community. We believe this will support both PDO and the contractor community in addressing key issues arising through gaps or lack of care and engagement/listening – and help to raise performance standards in the contractor community. We want to use PRISM as one of the tools to regularly assess gaps, opportunities and best practice in support of change management and a high performance environment.”

- Raoul Restucci, Managing Director, Petroleum Development Oman, PDO.

executive in a large Emirati company after IDG had successfully delivered a series of commercial awareness programmes which resulted in delegates identifying new ways of saving costs and creating revenue.

IDG has been privileged to work with similar organisations in the Emirates, Jordan and Oman where the combination of enhanced behavioural skills and developed business acumen has resulted in creating a commercial edge for their clients.

Raising the team performance bar

Public Sector

The King Abdullah II Fund for Development (KAFD) in Jordan invited IDG to develop a programme to enhance the policy making, influencing, leadership and management capabilities of senior people from a cross section of ministries, government entities and the Royal Court. Now in its sixth year, the programme has resulted in the implementation of team projects that have delivered sustainable and measurable benefits to the Kingdom and built an active alumni of over 100 committed achievers in senior positions.

In the UAE, IDG’s first project was to provide a world class behavioural assessment centre at a purpose

built camp in the desert, where over 2500 public employees attended in weekly batches of 50 participants. Subsequently we have provided a disciplined leadership programme, both in country and at Sandhurst, for talented young leaders at executive director level. This has equipped them with the necessary management tools and an environment to experience the pressures and rewards of leadership. Further programmes for the Abu Dhabi Civil Service and Al Ain Municipality have followed its success.

An historic event took place late 2011 when 32 aspiring young male and female managers became the first civilians from Saudi Arabia to attend a leadership development programme at Sandhurst. The participants from

Youth Development

The Middle East region faces an acute challenge of youth unemployment and in helping young people to understand the need to develop as good citizens and engage in the world of work.

IDG first began working in the Region in 2004, designing and delivering a youth development programme with the Court of the Crown Prince of Bahrain. This scheme was both inclusive (open to all sectors, races and creeds) and exclusive (open to the gifted and talented). Of its success over seven years Shaikha Marwa Bint Rashed Al-Khalifa has said “The programme benefits from the maximum impact and participation by the young businessmen and

women who act as mentors.

The students of course continue to gain from both the intellectual and practical aspects of the course- designed to make them self-aware, proactive and confident.”

Subsequently, working in partnership in Jordan with the King Abdullah II Fund for Development (KAFD), IDG has, for several years, run youth leadership development programmes aimed at empowering and inspiring young people to contribute to building a better future for the Kingdom. The IDG Regional Team, supported by local managers working voluntarily as mentors, have delivered the programme in Arabic and extended it beyond Amman to Irbid and Aqaba. An additional impact of

this enhanced programme has been to help steer students away from any temptation towards radicalisation.

In Oman, IDG has worked with PDO to develop and implement a work ethics programme; to develop positive attitudes and behaviours amongst trainees enrolled on their school leavers programme. This 22-week programme has seen fundamental changes in the behaviours and social skills of the participants. Having begun to participate, communicate and become more effective working in teams, natural leaders and team builders have come to the fore and students have demonstrated an attitude of effective followership, improving basic work behaviours such as punctuality and attendance.

SAGIA (Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority) and the KSA Ministry of Labour focused on developing competencies to enable them to become outstanding leaders in world-class organisations.

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“At a time when Jordan is experiencing extreme social, economic and environmental changes, effective management, positive leadership and creative policy formulations are top priorities. We want to thank IDG, RMAS and KAFD as real partners contributing to the development of our communities and the quality of people’s lives.”

- Participant on the 6th cycle of the Civil Service Development Programme.

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HRH Noor Bint AsemMiddle East Consultant, UAE and Jordan

Stephen BennettChairman and Founder

Gerry WoodsRegional Director, Oman

+44 (0)207 798 2848 stephen.bennett@inspirationaldg.com

+968 2439 1936gerry.woods@inspirationaldg.com

+96 277 555 9977 noor.asem@inspirationaldg.com

Jimmy GordonChairman IDG Middle East

+44 (0)207 798 2848 jimmy.gordon@inspirationaldg.com

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IDG OmanMaktabi 1 Building Al Khuwair PO Box 1982 P.C 111 Muscat Sultanate of Oman +968 (2) 439 1936

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